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Barcelona racked up a comfortable 4-1 win over Villarreal in La Liga last night, taking three vital points in the title race and maintaining the steam ahead of the big game midweek.
The highlight of the night was none other than Lamine Yamal, who scored a stunning hat-trick to lead the team to the win, only for Robert Lewandowski to add the finishing touch in added time.
With an xG of 3.2, six big chances and 778 passes, Barcelona dominated the game significantly and held a whopping 74% of the possession against one of the league’s top-placed teams.
Truth be told, they could well have had more to their name had Ferran Torres been more clinical in front of goal, but Hansi Flick and Co. will take the win as it comes.
Barça Universal brings you three takeaways from Barcelona 4-1 Villarreal.
Yamal’s latest milestone
At this point, Lamine Yamal is undisputedly the greatest-ever teenager to have played elite-level football and both the numbers and the records speak for themselves in his favour.
Lamine Yamal scored a hat-trick. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
There are not many milestones he has remaining as a teenager, having scored in all competitions and stepped up against clutch opponents time and time again.
One box that remained unticked on his roster, however, was a professional hat-trick and that objective was met during Barcelona’s game against Villarreal.
The teenage star was simply unplayable down the right flank last night, terrorising Villarreal’s defence and cutting in viciously to get a shot on goal.
He opened the scoring in the 27th minute, getting onto the end of a perfect through ball with a well-timed run and a cool finish to open the scoring.
Just under ten minutes later, the youngster was on the scoresheet once more, this time for a goal far greater. On a solo run from the sideline, he drove inside the box with his tricks, got past two defenders and curled the ball into the far post with immaculate technique.
His third and final goal of the night came in the second half off a brilliant Pedri assist that sliced the opposition defence in half, setting him free on goal. Despite being faced with a tight angle, Yamal did not break a sweat and netted his first-ever hat-trick.
Kounde’s announcement?
Kounde was much better against Villarreal. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Jules Kounde has looked out of touch for most of the ongoing campaign and there is no denying that he has looked like a shadow of his former self.
The management, however, has retained its faith in him through it all, especially because he does add to elevate Lamine Yamal’s game in the attacking sense.
Last night, in that sense, saw Kounde produce a far better performance than one has grown accustomed to in recent times, perhaps hinting at the player getting past whatever was holding him back over the months.
Kounde may not have been at his best last night, but he was more defensively alert, committed and accurate with his interceptions. In 90 minutes, he has seven defensive actions with four interceptions, one blocked shot and seven recoveries.
He was dribbled past only on two occasions and won four ground duels on the night. Further, he completed 92% of his passes and earned an assist for Robert Lewandowski’s goal, showing an all-around performance.
As the season heads into the business end, Barcelona will need Kounde to be at his best, and one can only hope that last night’s performance was the beginning of a positive spell and not a one-off.
Onto the big game
At one point last week, Barcelona seemed to have botched it all in a matter of days.
Barcelona have a huge task ahead. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Having dropped points to Girona and taken a big defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey, both the league and the cup objectives seemed compromised for Barcelona.
Now, however, they have come back strong in the league and have a provisional four-point lead at the top with the pressure on Real Madrid. The UEFA Champions League Round of 16, one would assume, is what is on the minds of the players.
However, no game this season can be more challenging than the game the team must play midweek as they hope to overturn the deficit against Diego Simeone’s side.
Four goals down in the first leg, Barcelona were outplayed and dominated by Los Rojiblancos and the refereeing on the night did not help their situation.
To reopen their Cup campaign, the Catalans must score at least five goals to win outright, that too without conceding even a single goal. The attack and defence, thus, must play the game of their lives.
The win over Villarreal by a 4-1 margin will give the team hope and belief that it is possible, but they must look to be more ruthless and efficient in front of goal.